


The Beauty of Science

by ropebunnykeith



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Fluff, Galra Keith (Voltron), Getting Together, Insecure Keith (Voltron), Insecure Lance (Voltron), Lance is strong, M/M, Misunderstandings, Oblivious Keith (Voltron), Oblivious Lance (Voltron), Pining Lance (Voltron), and keith is super gay, hunk is a scientist at heart, keith is a pining mess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-11
Updated: 2018-03-10
Packaged: 2019-03-29 16:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13931097
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ropebunnykeith/pseuds/ropebunnykeith
Summary: “So…”Hunk’s knowing tone had Keith tearing his gaze away from the door closing after Lance.“So?” Keith repeated, eyebrows raised.“Lance, huh?” Hunk asked with a grin. “I get it man, I really do. He’s a great guy. Even greater friend.”or, Keith is a pining mess and Hunk is a great friend





	1. Ch. 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first thing i've written in like 5 years so I hope its good!  
> Thanks to yoyo-dodo on tumblr for giving me the prompt that started this and for all the help!  
> Also huge thanks to voltronicworld for being my beta reader with this!!!
> 
> I dont own voltron or any of the characters

“So…” 

Hunk’s knowing tone had Keith tearing his gaze away from the door closing after Lance.

“So?” Keith repeated, eyebrows raised.

“Lance, huh?” Hunk asked with a grin. “I get it man, I really do. He’s a great guy. Even greater friend.”

“Yes? He is?” Keith agreed, confused as to what Hunk was getting at. “I’m very lucky to know him?”

“Keith, I’m not blind. I literally just saw your face as he left,” Hunk said, giving him a meaningful look. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you smile like that at any of us. Not even Shiro.”

“I… h-he’s…” Keith stuttered, caught off guard. Hunk waited patiently for a moment for him to collect his thoughts. “He… can be really nice. When he’s not being an idiot about our ‘rivalry’, anyway. He knows what to say when I’m getting too lost in my head…”

Keith’s voice fell softer as he continued, “He takes care of everyone here, and he’s always putting others before himself.”

Hunk smiled, nodding encouragingly. “Like I said, I get it man. Lance has always had a crazy big heart,” he said. 

Plopping down onto the sofa next to Keith, he launched into a story, hands motioning enthusiastically as he talked. 

“One time, when we were kids, he spent his entire summer collecting shells from the beach to give to his neighbor. Her husband had passed away and she had mentioned that he would bring her a shell from the beach every day, since she couldn’t go due to her arthritis,” Hunk explained. “So, every day, Lance would go and spend hours on the beach looking for the perfect shell to leave on her doorstep. 

“I think her favorite was the conch shell he’d found, so she could hear the ocean,” Hunk’s smile was bittersweet with nostalgia. “Even after she’d died, Lance left a shell on her grave every day until we left for the Garrison.”

Keith found himself smiling at the fondness in Hunk’s expression.

“I remember, back at the Garrison, after Shiro had disappeared, Lance tried to talk to me and ask what was wrong. I think I yelled at him to mind his own business,” Keith said, smirking a little at the memory. “But, honestly, it made me a little happy to know that the guy who’d been bugging me since we’d first met was concerned about me.”

“Don’t let Lance hear you say that!” Hunk laughed. “I don’t think he’d ever shut up about it if he knew you remembered him.”

“Ya, we can’t have his ego get even bigger now, can we?”

Hunk grinned. “But in all honesty, when did you start liking him?”

“I’ve always liked him.”

“Keith.”

“Fine, fine,” Keith sighed. “Honestly? I think it was that day. He was the only one who actually bothered to ask me if I was okay. Everyone else avoided me, or gave me pitying looks. I’d always found Lance attractive, but that was the day I realized he was more than just a pretty face, I guess.”

Keith looked down to one side, feeling the heat of a blush rising to his cheeks. “The more time I spend around him, the more I realize that’s just who Lance is. He makes sure I’m not training myself to exhaustion, and that Pidge gets enough sleep.”

Hunk nodded in agreement. “He helps me calm down when I have anxiety attacks. Or when I’m feeling homesick, he just lets me talk about my family. Even though I know it hurts him to be reminded of Earth, he just lets me speak and tell him stories about my moms. Then hugs me while I cry.”

Keith leaned forward, resting his arms on his legs. “After the team found out I was Galra, I was going to lock myself in my room. But Lance followed me, saying that I had better be on my way to a healing pod.” Keith laughed, a little self-deprecatingly. “I told him to leave me alone. That I was a monster.”

“Lance threatened to carry me into a pod if I didn’t just walk with him to one. I think that’s when I fell in lo-” Keith cut himself off, head whipping up to meet Hunk’s knowing gaze, wide-eyed. “Uh, I mean…”

“Yo! Pidge kicked me out of the lab again!” Lance announced loudly as he burst back into the room. He paused, frowning as he looked them over. “Keith, are you okay? Your face is all red.”

Keith fought the urge to shrink away as Lance approached him and placed a gentle hand against his forehead, concerned. “Are you getting a fever?”

“Nope! I’m fine! Gonna go train. Bye!” Keith yelped out as he slipped away from Lance’s touch and all but ran from the room.

Lance watched him scurry away with a confused expression. “Huh. Well, that was weird. You think he’s okay?”

Hunk laughed. “Ya, buddy. Keith’s just being Keith.”


	2. Ch. 2

After their little chat, Keith found himself talking to Hunk more about his… small… crush. It was nice, telling someone all about what Lance did to make him smile or blush that day. 

Don’t get him wrong, he knew he could talk to Shiro about it if he really wanted to; the guy was basically his big brother. But he was also their leader and Keith felt a bit awkward talking about his crush on a teammate with their leader.

That and Shiro would tease him non-stop about it, so all-in-all, he’d rather talk to Hunk.

“He picked me up, Hunk.” Keith’s face was bright red.

“Ya man, we all saw.”

“Just lifted me up like it was nothing!”

Hunk was trying very hard not to laugh at how distraught Keith seemed about this. “Well, you did sort of challenge him and inadvertently call him weak.”

Keith felt his face burn at the memory. The blue paladin had taken down a gladiator and boasted that he could beat Zarkon single handedly.

“I bet you can’t even pick me up,” Keith had scoffed.

Lance, being Lance, had let out an excited whoop. “Oh, it’s on, Mullet!” 

He didn’t have a chance to react before Lance promptly scooped Keith up, swinging him over his shoulder with one arm like he was a sack of potatoes.

“I didn’t even know strength was a thing for me, but apparently it is!” Keith whined, burying his face in his hands.

“Maybe it’s a Galra thing?” Hunk mused. “Like, Lance already proved he cares about your well-being, and now he’s proven that he’s strong enough to protect you. Maybe it’s set off your instincts, telling you that Lance would make a good mate?”

The yellow paladin’s eyes lit up as an idea came to him. “Keith! Let me lift you!”

Keith’s head snapped up. “No.”

“Aw, come on!” Hunk gave his best puppy dog face. “Please? For science?”

“Hunk, no. No way,” Keith protested, even as he could feel his resolve crumbling. “Don’t look at me like that!”

Hunk continued to pout, his eyes watering a little.

“Fuck! Fine! Just please stop looking at me with that face!”

“Alright!” Hunk cheered, immediately sweeping Keith up and holding him in his arms princess style, right as the door slid open. “So, is this doing anything for ya?”

“Oh!” Keith tensed in Hunk’s arms, turning to see Lance hovering in the open doorway, his face as red as a tomato.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt…ummm... I’ll just... go now...” Lance mumbled, stumbling back out the door, shooting out a quick, “Be safe!” before bolting.

Keith groaned, tossing his head back in dismay. “Just snap me in half, Hunk. I know you can do it. Kill me, please.”

“No, Keith, you’re my friend. Besides, I’m sure everything will be fine.”

“Hunk! Lance thinks we were about to… to do something! Things will not be fine!” He shot Hunk a glare. “And put me down, already!”

“Why would he…?” Hunk trailed off as he lowered Keith, catching on to his meaning. “Oh. Okay, ya. I’ll go see if I can find him and clear this up.”

He started for the door, but paused as he reached the threshold. “Just to be clear though, that didn’t do anything for you?”

“No!” Keith snapped. “It was just with Lance!”

“Okay, so then it’s not strength as a kink. Maybe it’s just your Galra-”

“HUNK!”

“Right! Lance! Sorry!” Hunk said quickly before rushing out the door.

Keith allowed himself a little while to just stew in his own embarrassment before eventually deciding he was going to focus on training until he felt better. 

As he drew near the training deck, he could hear the clear sounds of someone already midst a simulation.

“Please, just be Shiro,” Keith muttered before opening the door, revealing the last person he wanted to see.

Lance looked over with a smirk as the gladiator he’d been fighting fell to the floor. “Hey, didn’t think you’d be done so soon.”

“Nothing happened, Lance.”

“Well then, I’m sorry for ruining the mood.”

Keith groaned in frustration, activating his bayard. “There was no mood!”

“Hey man, there’s no need to be defensive about it! Hunk is a great guy! Awesome catch!” Lance’s smirk abruptly dropped, his expression turning serious. “But he’s also my best friend. If you hurt him, I’m coming after you, Mullet.”

“I’m not having this conversation with you right now,” Keith grumbled, walking to the center of the room. “Either spar with me or leave.”

Lance shot him a glare, activating his own bayard.

“Begin team exercise training sequence 3.”

Two gladiators fell from the ceiling and charged. Keith rushed forward to meet them with his blade head on, whilst Lance drew back to gain some distance. They kept at it for a while, Keith remaining on the offensive with Lance watching his back. 

“For real though, you don’t need to hide your feelings from the team.”

“Are you serious right now?” Keith growled out, blocking a gladiator’s staff with his sword.

“Hey! I’m just trying to figure out why you seem so against letting the team know about you and Hunk!” Lance fired off a couple of shots at a gladiator that got too close to Keith. “There’s nothing wrong with liking him!”

“Oh for fuck’s- end training sequence!” Keith snapped out, waiting for the gladiators to deactivate before turning on Lance. “I don’t like Hunk!”

Lance frowned. “Dude, that’s not cool. You spend a lot of time together, you let him hold you…” His frown deepened, disapproval clear in his expression. “You shouldn’t lead him on like that.”

“Hunk knows that I don’t like him like that!” Keith yelled back, frustrated.

“How can you be so sure?”

“Because I’m always talking to him about how much I love you!”

“Well-” Lance’s response died on his tongue, his eyes widening as he registered the other man’s words. “Wait… you love me?”

“Fuck!” Keith exclaimed, his face burning as he turned to storm out the room. He hadn’t meant to blurt that out. Lance wasn’t supposed to ever find out, at least not like this.

“Wait!”

Keith’s retreat was halted as Lance grabbed his hand. He looked back, taking in Lance’s expression, eyes wide and face red.

“Please, Keith.”

God, had Lance’s voice always been that soft? He looked down at his hand, held in Lance’s gentle grip, before meeting the other man’s earnest gaze.

“What?” Keith’s voice was small, almost a whisper.

“Dude, you can’t just say something like that and then leave!”

“Why not?” Keith asked, his voice raising as he grew defensive. “It came out, now you know. I just want to go back to my room.”

Lance gave his hand a gentle squeeze. “Are you upset that you love me?”

“No!” Keith exclaimed. “Why would I be?”

Lance shrugged, still holding his hand. “Because it’s me? I’m the goofball. A cargo pilot. I’m not a valuable member of Voltron.”

It was Keith’s turn to be shocked.

“Are you kidding me?” He asked, incredulously. “Lance, you are the most kind and caring person I have ever known. You take care of all of us and treat us like family. You are an amazing pilot! Blue chose you out of all us when we first found her. You’re our sharpshooter and I trust you with my life. Also, I’m pretty sure that without your jokes, everyone here would have broken down by now.”

He felt a tug on their joined hands and, next thing he knew, Lance was holding him tight, resting his cheek on the top of his head.

“God, I love you.”

Keith went rigid at that, shaking his head. “You can’t.”

“Why not?” Lance asked, tightening his embrace.

“Because I’m Galra. I lose my temper quickly. I have a hard time letting people in…” Keith trailed off as Lance’s hands slid away from the small of his back to gently cup his face.

“Keith, you’ve always been part Galra, that doesn’t change who you are.” Lance brushed his thumbs across his cheekbones. “As for letting people in, you’ve always been like that and I still fell for you. I will gladly wait as long as it takes for you to be comfortable enough to let me in.”

“Besides, just by telling me this you’re already letting me in a little, and we aren’t even dating yet,” he added with a wink.

Lance dropped his hands from Keith’s face at the sound of the training deck doors hissing open.

“Lance! I’m so glad I finally found you,” Hunk said hurriedly as he walked in. “Keith was just letting me do a science experiment! I promise you, there is absolutely nothing going on between us!”

Lance raised his eyebrows. “What type of experiment?”

“So, when you picked Keith up, he got all flustered about it and I got curious as to whether it was a Galra trait or just a kink!” Hunk explained, excitedly.

“Galra trait?”

“Ya! Apparently, you triggered Keith’s Galra instincts into thinking you would be a good potential mate based off you showing how much you care about him, and proving that you’re strong enough to protect him. Isn’t that cool?”

Lance looked down at Keith, a sly grin on his face. “Wow, babe. We haven’t even started dating yet and you’ve decided I’d make a good mate? I’m flattered!”

Keith pushed Lance away with a huff, stomping towards the door. “I take back everything I just said. I hate you.”

“Wait! Babe!”

“Nope! Leaving! Bye, Lance!”

Lance quickly caught up and snatched Keith into a hug from behind. “Come on, kitten. Be nice to your boyfriend.”

Keith leaned back into Lance’s hold. “I don’t remember us actually becoming boyfriends.”

Lance let out a thoughtful hum. “You’re right, we should fix that. Keith, will you go out with me?”

“What if we fight a lot? Or if I’m too distant?” Keith asked doubtfully, his voice growing softer. “I’ve never done this before.”

“All relationships require effort and aren’t perfect. We probably will get into fights, but we’ll just have to try and talk through them and be extra loving towards one another afterwards,” Lance admitted, hugging him tighter. “I’m willing to try if you are. What do you say? Will you give us a shot?”

There was only a moments more hesitation before Keith slowly turned to face Lance, wrapping his arms around his neck. “I think I’d like that.”

He answered Lance’s beaming smile with his own, eyes fluttering shut as Lance leaned down to kiss him.

“Well, I’m glad you guys worked that out! To be honest, if I had to hear the both of you gushing about each other for much longer, I was going to get Pidge involved in the hopes of hooking you two up,” Hunk told them with a grin, patting them both on the back on his way out.

Keith pulled back to look at Lance with a raised brow. “You talked to Hunk about me?”

Lance replied with a wolfish grin. “What can I say? Your ass looks amazing in those jeans you wear,” he said, hands reaching down and giving a squeeze.

“Lance!”

Hunk smiled to himself at the laughter following him from the training deck. “They’re gonna be just fine.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again thanks to yoyo and vol bc i couldn't have done this without them!


End file.
